What are 5 things you have learned that has completely changed your life?

I am still a kid, And I love asking questions, cause I believe that the best way to learn is through asking questions. And I love the TED community, its full of amazing individuals. So, What are 5 things you have learned that has completely changed your life?

Jun 9 2012:
Every Day I learn More
1- We spend 1/3 of life working, Choose Wisely & Do something that counts.
2- To Master ANYTHING, Number of tries is the key. Always learn new skills, discover new places & Read much.
3- Take Risks, if you win, you'll lead, if you loose, you'll guide.
4- Your Family is the best gift in life, Love them and be grateful.
5- If you don't build your dream, Someone will hire you to build their dream.Success is all about hard-work, passion and will.

Jun 27 2012:
1) Knowledge is fine, but useless without creativity. You need creativity to solve a problem and not only for arts. Creativity is something you have, but after years in school you loose it.
2) Our supply chain sucks. The way out products are made is very complex. It is difficult to see where the process starts, but usually it involves some kind of slavery (cotton, metals, diamonds, rare earth elements for smartphones.., production of devices (Playstation, iPod...in Foxconn ), which leads to number 3)
3) When you buy something you also approve it. By getting an iPod, shoes or diamonds you say "I think it is a good thing that you do it and how you do it, make more of them".
4) Good grades and status on paper are no primary goals. The primary goal is to make this earth a better place. However good grades and status make this a lot easier. For example if you develop some tech or solve a problem you get a PhD. This is nice but it is only half the way. You also have to make sure, that it is used to the benefit to those who need it. For example to clean up our supply chain (it is ok to use tech as a slave)
5) Talent is overrated. Good people are good at what they do because of practice (10 000 hours). That it does not feel like pain or work to them one could call talent.

Jun 8 2012:
1- your body, mind and soul all need to be feed equally
2- love everything, but don't get your happiness attached to any of it
3- you are born the moment you realize your passion and start working for it
4- be good to all, at all times, and all phases
5- we are in this world to make it better, not to sit back and watch. it's short, so make the best out of it!

Jun 7 2012:
1. Help other people and live in purpose.
2. Be true to yourself in the best way.
3. Use your intellect wisley.
4.The comfort zone is a dangerous place, step out.
5.be curious of the universe, you will get in a higher awareness.

Jun 8 2012:
1. Charles Darwin - We are animals. We are related to all life on earth. Geological time is vast beyond one's wildest imagination. The ways in which life evolve over this great expanse of time is humbling, beautiful, and extraordinary.
Naturalism - There is beauty in truth!

2. Richard Dawkins - You, being alive right now, are the recipient of ~3.8 billion years of unbroken and successful genetic inheritance. This is a gift, but also a responsibility.

4. Edward O. Wilson - Sociobiology. We behave as we do due to evolutionary traits that conveyed advantage (adaptations), language, hands, large brains, and controlled use of fire among them, and in doing so have so vastly separated ourselves from all the other codependent living organisms on earth. Having advanced, technologically speaking, so rapidly, we have outpaced the corrective forces of evolution and unintentionally set a course of global instability that threatens all life on earth, including ourselves. Life will go on, in the sense that rats, cockroaches, vultures, crows, microorganisms, and fungi are life, but the oceans will forever be stained with plastics bags and bottles, the soil, water, and atmospheric chemistry/composition so dramatically altered that life as we know it will fail to keep pace. Our daily choices matter in how we choose to bequeath the earth to future generations of all macro fauna, so choose wisely friends.

5. Henry David Thoreau - a simple life isn't necessarily a less fulfilling life.

Oh, and my history professor in high school, Craig Schmidt, who taught me to be critical of sources of information: history is usually written by the victors of conflict. Also, Al Gore, who revealed an obvious fact: when my father was born there were 2 billion, and now 7 billion people on earth, this is not business as usual.

"Human history can be viewed as a slowly dawning awareness that we are members of a larger group. Initially our loyalties were to ourselves and our immediate family, next, to bands of wandering hunter-gatherers, then to tribes, small settlements, city-states, nations. We have broadened the circle of those we love. We have now organized what are modestly described as super-powers, which include groups of people from divergent ethnic and cultural backgrounds working in some sense together — surely a humanizing and character building experience. If we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth. Many of those who run the nations will find this idea unpleasant. They will fear the loss of power. We will hear much about treason and disloyalty. Rich nation-states will have to share their wealth with poor ones."

"A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this is our world. It is our responsibility to cherish it. Of all the worlds in our solar system, the only one so far as we know, graced by life."

"Consider again that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar", every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there - on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

Jun 8 2012:
1. Learning and change is a life long process.
2. Do a variety of things and find the right balance. Anything in excess in harmful
3. Be compassionate and generous, especially with praise and genuine love and respect
4. Never be afraid of failure. Sometimes a major failure is the best thing that can happen to you
5. Learn to let go. Some people will always be unfair to you. Learn to get them out of your life

Jun 7 2012:
1. Faith can move mountains, but only if you exercise it. Faith through wishful thinking accomplishes nothing other than to make you wonder why nothing is happening.
2. Books are an important learning tool. Make sure you review the interior before you buy it.
3. Science is the most productive learning tool we have in today's world. It is not always right, but it is always ready to accept a better answer.
4. If you want to know who's telling the truth, ask a question in which you already know the answer.
5.We only play the cards we are dealt, but we are not the dealer. Learn to play the right cards.

Jun 7 2012:
1. Forgive yourself.
2. Cultures vary, but underneath people are pretty much the same.
3. Different languages express ideas that don't translate well. Learning new languages gives you more tools for understanding the world around you, and the ability to make connections with people who will help you do the same.
4. You grow the most when you step outside your comfort zone.
5. You will eventually grow comfortable no matter where you go and what you do. Don't mistake comfort for happiness. Refer to #4 often.

Jun 24 2012:
MARI TAKESHITA and Debra Smith wanted me to share 5 things that I have learned that completely changed my life. Before I start, I want to thank each and everyone of you for being so kind, amazing human beings. Thank you for taking your time, reflecting, and answering my questions. I am only 16, I do know a lot, but I still haven't experienced a lot. I am still on that journey of figuring out who I am and what I want to do with my life.
1- Love yourself. This is my life motto. I fight everyday to engrave this into my own mind and soul and into others. I believe that it is the most important of all. Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.
2- Don't compare yourself to others. I am firm believer in being yourself and comparing yourself to anyone because all it does, is drive you crazy. Strive for your own happiness, do whatever you can to make your life better. We all blessed in different ways. That realization set me free.
3- Our prime purpose is to help others. Don't live selfishly, this life isn't all about you. Help others the way you can. You don't have to be the richest man on earth to lend a helping hand. Just a simple gesture as a compliment to someone goes a long way.
4- Don't give up on your dreams. Always dream big. It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from or how much money you have in your pockets, if you have a dream, you love and believe in yourself, and you fight every single day to make that dream come true. Then I truly believe that any dream you have can become your reality. DON'T EVER SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN YOU DESERVE.
5-Be grateful for what you have. No matter what our situation is we can always find something to be grateful for. This may sound silly, but sometimes, when I'm feeling blue or lonely. I touch my legs, my arms, then I feel my heart beat, and I thank God for those things.
Thank you. I am still learning.

Jun 25 2012:
Fonkou, you sound like a genuinely remarkable young man! I think you have the good stuff figured out much, much earlier in your life than many of us likely did : ) Lots and lots of good wishes to you.

Jun 25 2012:
Fonkou, when I was at your age, I discovered that the number of birthdays which one has doesn't guarantee wisdom. You'll be surprised you're wiser than a lot of 60-yr olds out there. Keep dreaming whilst doing. You'll go far!

Jun 22 2012:
‎1. God doesn't have to be the God I grew up with.
2. It's possible to be grateful for even my darkest moments.
3. Science is not a collection of facts but a way of thinking.
4. The majority of the world is not, in fact, laughing at me.
5. Mathematics is truly the language of the universe.

Jun 21 2012:
1. Be gentle with people's feelings. You never know how you will impact the lives of others.
2. Love is more important than money. Most people learn this after work has destroyed important relationships.
3. People who have touched your life stay with you forever. This is so true.
4. Take care of your body. Eat well, move often, and get enough sleep. Your good health will be an asset during your life
5.Music and art are the glue that helps bond us as people across cultural and language barriers. Without it, life wouldn't have nearly as much meaning

Jun 9 2012:
Not sure that this is the definitive list but these are certainly the most important things that I have learned in the last year or so, especially during my Year of TED (www.kyliedunn.com).

1. Nobody has the answers, we are all stumbling along doing the best we can.
2. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there to make friends and really connect with friends - chances are that they are just as worried as you are about making a fool of themselves.
3. I am not required to be perfect, nobody expects it from me and showing imperfection actually makes me more connected to people in my life.
4. Find people in your life who are willing and able to support you and tell you how wonderful you are. Love those people and make sure that you keep them close, they will change your life and give you strength when you think that you have no more.
5. Everyone is broken in their own way and sometimes they will hurt you because of their brokenness. You cannot control their actions and you are unlikely to be responsible for them, so son't take on their crap and let them ruin your life. You probably have enough of your own brokenness to deal with.

Jun 7 2012:
* Be BOLD in your failures, they are your best steps toward success.
* Don't let other people's fears dictate what you do. You must believe in yourself before anyone else will believe in you.
* Study systems-based thinking, interrelationships are more important than causality
* Learn to appreciate art, even if you can't create it - and to appreciate science, even if you don't pursue it
* Enjoy the time you have with friends and loved ones. Listen to their stories. Ask them questions. It's humbling to hear the trials and triumphs others have experienced - share in their joy, absorb their lessons. Learning from others' experiences will enhance your thinking.

Jun 26 2012:
1) What occupies your thoughts controls your life.
2) We don't see things as THEY are, we see things as WE are.
3) Relationships relationships relationships relationships...
4) Learning never has to stop
5) "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." Victor Frankl

1. Present is the most important time but past determines you in some way but it's you who can manage your life by giving the past a meaning that could let you use your present to savoir-être and considering your future as an immediate result of your present. So, what matters it's the meaning you give to your past, your present, your future and the things, people and situations you value.

2. Anxiety is not as bad as it seems to be. Anxiety shows when you feel that something you value is in danger to be lost. And anxiety can give you the strenght you need to defend what's important to you and it's also a master who shows you what you value the most.

3. Smiling can make you feel better. So smile!

4. Reading is one of the most delicious things to do and it's also one of the cheapest, everybody should give it a try.

Jun 9 2012:
That there is something intangible and indescribable that happens when you become a parent that stops people being selfish to some extent.
That to serve others is an awesome way to live.
That failure can be the path to greater success.
That I can really only change me and invite others to do the same.
That a happy life is about relationships, how I treat others, not money, success or things I've done for others.

Jun 9 2012:
1: Sometimes life is hard, sometimes it's easy. Remember that the easy path is not always the right one.
2: Courage is not the absence of fear, it's being afraid but doing what you know is right anyways.
3: Nothing last's forever not even time and space. So don't dwell on things past, and remember that the future is yet unwritten.
4: Always strive to be the most clever person, and if you aren't clever wear glasses while examining things and speak as if you know what you are talking about. Trust me it always works.
5: You are a living thing, not only living but a human. Humans are evil, greedy, envious, selfish, and ignorant. We are also good, courageous, brave, caring, loving, and knowledgeable. The great thing about being human is that we always have a choice. We can only hope that you make the right one.

Jun 8 2012:
1. Being happy is like having good posture. You have to consciously make an effort to maintain it.

2. If you feel uninteresting, become interestED. It is your passions, pursuits, and knowledge that enrich you as a person, and before you know it, you'll be admired for that.

3. If you often feel a lack of contentment, at least be comforted by the fact that it probably means you are ambitious and not satisfied with settling for less.

4. If one views the history of life on Earth on a month-long timescale, humans appear in approximately the last five minutes. The human species is definitely interesting and unique and exciting to think about, but it is well to remember how brief of a role we have played thus far.

5. Sometimes you must go do something significant and out of your comfort zone BY YOURSELF to get out of a lack of confidence rut. Backpack through a foreign country alone, move to a big city, end that stifling relationship, or whatever seems scariest to you. The benefits will manifest themselves in your career, your relationships, your ability to embrace opportunities, and your overall happiness.

I have spent 10 years battling various illnesses (with help and other people's spare body parts!) and I think that's one of the most valuable things that has ever happened to me. I wish people could learn from my experiences but it seems that you only learn the true life exoperiences by nearly losing yours or being very close to someone who does.

My lessons are:

1. be happy, do stuff that makes you happy but also know that you control your state of mind - laugh often
2. be grateful, even when you don't; there is someone who loves you
3. give, you will always get more back
4. love, and allow yourself to be vunerable in doing so, you will be protected but those who deserve your love
5. look after your body; use it, try not to take it for granted and forgive it for it's minor problems, it does an amazing job

but the things that changed my life were:
1. Getting diagnosed - discovering my true inner strength
2. waking up after my kidney transplant - surrounded by family and friends and feeling immediately better than i did before i went into surgery
3. buying my first horse - unconditional love and passion combined
4. getting together with my best friend - i didn't know love could feel this good
5. going to do Camp America - I didn't know that I was any good with kids or other people, I thought I was just a maths head but in truth you can reinvent yourself at any time! Like yourself!

Jun 8 2012:
1. People can change.
2. Failures can lead to successes.
3. Depression can be overcome & doesn't have to end you.
4. You can never truly understand another's perspective until you have experienced what they have.
5. Understanding oneself is an endless process.

Jun 8 2012:
1. First love and respect yourself, others will follow and you will be source of joy for people around you
2. Live each day balancing the three make up of your being body, mind and soul. Take care of your body, nurture your mind and give a rest to your soul when you feel it is due.
3. Expand and increase what has been given to you (although this seems simple, I think it is one of the principles of the universe), don't settle.
4. Don't wait for perfect moment and right time, you have to try to know when is perfect and to feel when is right
5. Pick up your self hundred times, enjoy the process, and move on

Jun 7 2012:
1. Express your ideas widely. Do not be afraid to tell everyone. No one will steal your idea. The people who work on ideas have their own and won't notice yours. But people who can help you will take notice!
2. The universe is releasing ideas into this material world.. not just to you. Move quickly or watch someone else implement the idea.
3. If you see your idea implemented by someone else, give yourself one gold star. Tell yourself, "I thought of that!" and be proud not jealous.
4. Love yourself first. Give yourself a hug. Then you can spead the love!!
5. If you implement your idea, remember it is not YOUR idea! it is the universe expressing itself through you and the others who have joined you to implement it. Give everyone gold stars!! And thank the universe!

Jun 7 2012:
1. challenging what I believed to be my core 'identity'- turns out I'm not who I thought I was!
2. it is OK to feel vulnerable and to express that to others without feeling shame
3. that listening to others is more powerful than trying to solve the world's problems
4. fake it til you make it
5. always choosing in favour of my passions and if i don't know what they are i write down the times when i am smiling the most

Jun 27 2012:
Hi, like 1-4, but disagree with 5. If you have low expectations you cannot be disappointed. But in some cases high expectations can lead to amazing results for example when working with a team on a project.

Jun 27 2012:
Sebastian, I can't answer for Zidni, and again, remember that each list is a personal one and supposed has changed that person's life, but I think what was meant is not to have "low expectations", but "lower ones" which is a difference. Perhaps those that were had were too high at the time and may have been unattainable due to circumstances beyond the person's control, but since they were lowered a bit, they were met and success followed. Does that make sense???

Jun 25 2012:
1) Not to care so much, everything will pass in time.
2) Tell people you love them every time you see them, you never know when you might not see them again.
3) LISTEN when people are talking to you, put down your media devices!
4) Wake up every morning and choose to have a good day.
5) You can't change anyone, only yourself.

Jun 19 2012:
1. I can do anything if I really apply myself to it.
2. There are only 24 hours a day, and only that many days in a life. Which means potential is nice, but it's worth nothing without focus.
3. Watch your mind. The ability to quiet your thoughts is the most important one you can acquire.
4. Listen to your gut feeling, especially when it's very faint.
5. The things i fear most or am procrastinating are the ones I most need to do. Fear (except when talking about real danger of course) is often a sign you need to push yourself to do.

Jun 18 2012:
1. being smart is not enough unless you work hard
2. thinking of something new is worthless unless you do it.
3. there is no ultimate goodness.
4. parents make mistakes too.
5. delaying your duties only make you more uncomfortable.

Jun 17 2012:
Learning Philosophy is the greatest thing in the world to me

1-live your truth - its such a hard thing to do -
2-learn to meditate to hear the wisdom in your own soul-dont think you know who you are - it takes 21 days to form a habit so start a new good one today and allow it to become a part of who you want to be -
3-exercise is the greatest tool for fighting the heartaches in life
4-when you have reason in the mind and love in the heart you'll be fine - if someone hurts you, try to reason with their reasons for doing so and let it slide- you would not sell your happiness for a million dollars so why give it away for free- dont drink the poison intended for your enemies.
5- if you want a friend be a friend

Jun 16 2012:
1.For very complicated things or situation. you need not try to grasp it wholely. you need sample it.That's enough.2.Vulnerability is not a weakness. It is a measure of courage.3.For bad feelings, accept it is very important, you can not erase it from your mind, It is a part of you.4.For a very big problem, try to break it into several small part. A modular strategy.5.Connection is very important to human being. It defines us.

Jun 16 2012:
Thank you. Those are the lessons I was looking for, not the basic home, hearth thing. We all learn those lessons. I'm not saying basic lessons aren't important, they are. But that is part of the maturing process. The lessons I want to hear about are the ones that make us grow and change. Great pain or deep introspection changes us and gives the true tools we need to live with ourselves.
You said it very well.

Jun 15 2012:
1. I am, as all of us are, guided..."tapped" on the shoulder to take a path, read a book, talk to a stranger or do something that leads us to a place where we progress toward a life purpose.
2. We are all connected and reconnected to those who somehow help us to achieve a higher consciousness.
3. I am, as we all are, more powerful than we can imagine...we impact other lives with our every action or thought.
4. We are a network of souls that have the potential to truly change our world and make it a place where all peoples thrive, where all creatures are respected and nurtured, where the earth is protected and loved.
5. We cause ourselves the greatest struggle and strife but we have the ability to change all that.

Jun 12 2012:
1. Never leave family or dear ones for career/money. If you are able, you'll find a way anywhere.
2. Happiness is hardest thing to achieve. From billionaires to beggars, everyone has issues. Try to be content with what you have and happiness will follow.
3. Nothing is permanent and there might be no tomorrow. Don't leave things for tomorrow. Live now, enjoy now.

Jun 12 2012:
1. that ego is the biggest barrier to wisdom and creativity
2. that it is more important to speak from experience than about experience
3. that silence in speaking, silence in listening, silence in presence with another is fruitful and yields abundance
4. that we may not so much possess our expertise as be vehicles for it
5. that we learn more by talking to people who disagree with us than by talking to people who agree with us.

Jun 16 2012:
My third attempt at a reply..(the other two disappeared innto the ionosphere)

These are the 5 principlaes that are now my rule of life and which have literally changed every aspect of my life in fruitful and positive ways

There is a term ,"concentration without effort"....That's what these 5 principles have brought me. They are fruits of my contemplative practice but in essence they are the wisdom paths of many cultures all over the world back to the beginnings of humanity

I claim no mastery but just the process of commiting to these 5 elements as a way of life, as a set of guiding principles, streamlines everything I do into a more fluid and effortless transparent and simple engagement. Even simple ordinary tasks like gardening or household chores or ordering the sequence of tasks become easy, fluid, with little conscious thought or effort.

As to others,

I never perscribe, judge or make recommendations for others.

Each of us has a unique path and unique challenges to finally stand in the ground of our being and to live fully from our own authenticity.

Jun 8 2012:
1) it's not all about me.
2) To serve is greater than to command.
3) Never hit on a guy's girlfriend when he's got a running chainsaw in his hand.
4) True love is the comfortable glow of steady embers after the flames of passion have died down. The real trick is to keep blowing on those embers so that they stay lit.
5) You can't send a message of peace and love on the edge of a sword or the tip of a bullet.

Jun 8 2012:
1) How you do anything is how you do everything.
2) The biggest thing that stops me is me.
3) Your point of view determines your experience of anything. It is the only thing.
4) Take time every day to think about 10 things you are grateful for.
5) We each have something important and valuable to contribute.

Jun 7 2012:
1) Understand and forgive. Try to see the world from others' perspective and be compassionate in your every action; those who can hate and murder have known only suffering and not love. Love is something that is taught and learned and if you are lucky enough to have had it in any capacity, you should be wise enough to give it back.
2) Struggle underlies success. Have a goal for everyday of your life.
3) The world owes you nothing, and yet offers so many opportunities. It is up to you to act upon them.
4) Figure out what makes you happy and go find it. People are fragile and life is too short.
5) Find something beautiful within yourself and never let it go.

Jun 7 2012:
2. A few weeks ago, I spoke to a very shy kid in a philadelphia school for a few minutes. When I saw him two weeks later, I introduced him to my son and mentioned this kid's project and interests. You should have seen the smile on his face! Yes you matter.
3. Rosemarie Greco - the former CEO of CoreStates bank is an inspiration: she was a former nun who went from being a secretary to the CEO of the bank. When she talks to you, you ARE the most important person in the world to her. This is one lesson I try to emulate and pass along to my kids.
4. Humility is hard but it helps if you have a mission in life.
5. Jumping out of a plane at 80 ( old Prez Bush) is the best present for your soul! ( have a few years to work up the courage).
6. Learn to say thank you in 50 languages - another lesson for my kids ( I can probably do 20).

1. In 4 billion years the Andromeda Galaxy will crash into the milky way and set off spectacular interstellar fireworks that will last 2 billion years, by then the sun would have expanded to a level that makes life impossible on the surface of the earth (Ok, the 2012 freaks were off by a few billion years!). That is real; no matter if you are a tea partier or a tree hugger; born again or atheist; billy graham or the ayotollah. In the face of cosmic events, our differences are minuscule.

Jun 7 2012:
1) You are as old as you feel.
2) Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it. (Thank you Dumbledore!)
3) Be true to yourself because at the end of the day you must live with the decisions you make.
4) Don't waste your time in caring what people think, it's exhausting.
5) Make every moment memorable so when your life flashes before you eyes right before you die...it's an amazing sight to see.
6) (Had to add one more...) Illegitimi non carborundum meaning "Don't let the bastards get you down!"

Jun 7 2012:
1. 80% of your success in any job is your ability to deal with people.
2. Quality, Service, Price. Choose any two.
3. When you do the right thing, you're hardly every wrong.
4. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell.
5. No one cares if you can't dance. Just get up and do it.

Jun 7 2012:
1. Hands down, learning to rock climb has had a profound impact on my life. It has changed how I approach obstacles, how I treat myself and others, as well as just making me a more aware and conscious human being!

2. As a research scientist, I've realized that things don't go the way they're planned. In fact, with my job, I'm expected to mess up. In life, you should expect to mess up too! I've learned to not get discouraged and to learn with every mistake. Often times you get to where you want to be by making mistakes (just ask Alexander Fleming!). It always works out in the end.

3. I've learned to always ask questions. Don't be a mean cynic, but definitely don't believe everything you hear and be aware of everything around you. Don't be brainwashed by the crap you hear daily. Ask why. Ask how.

4. Dogs will never let you down.

5. GPA doesn't matter. I spend my entire college career obsessing over maintaining good grades and a high GPA. When I applied for my first job, I didn't even put my GPA on my resume and I was hired. Relax, enjoy school, and realize that life experience is the most important thing you can bring to the table.

Jun 7 2012:
Especially agree with your #1 -- Learning to interact with the environment, in any way, makes a profound impact on your life. It innately breeds conscientiousness of yourself and others. Nothing is better than playing in nature.

Totally agree with the rest as well. High five to the inquisitive, carefree, and level headed.

Jun 7 2012:
(1) Life is so very short. Don't waste time.
(2) Regret is wasted energy. What's done is done, but the present and future are endless possibilities.
(3) Reading opens your mind to ideas and perspectives and improves the way you see the world, so read as much as you can. Perspective.
(4) Show the people you love that you love them. My stoical Protestant upbringing has been an emotional albatross. At the end, love and happiness is what matters.
(5) Don't hesitate to do the things you want to do. Life has a funny way of flying by at light speed. I used to work with a retired cop who was fond of saying, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer you get to the end the faster it goes". And really, we only really regret the things we wanted to do but did not.

Jul 2 2012:
1. Follow your dreams. I'm doing this now and I'm realizing its scary because of how dangerous it might be, but I know that in the end, I will be happy because I will know I tried, and I will know that I will never wonder "what if?"

2. Love yourself. When you do, life becomes a lot more beautiful.

3. In the end, everything will be okay. No matter how tough life may seem sometimes, you always have to remember that there is always someone out there in the world that has it a lot worse than you do. And no matter what situation you get yourself into, it'll be okay because life always goes on.

4. Money is not everything. Money is not the most important thing in life. Money can give that illusion, but never fall for it.

Jun 27 2012:
I love this(: I'm 23, & these are the greatest lessons I've learned in my life so far.

1) Only if you can love, respect, & forgive yourself can you then do the same for others. I've learned that walking around in self-pity or unforgiveness towards myself caused me to be blind to the needs of those around me. Understand who you are, & then get your eyes off yourself & onto others.
2) Love is stronger than death & greater than the darkest of evil. "Love conquers all."
3) Actively seek out wisdom.
4)Be careful with your words -- they bring either life or death. It's your choice. Use them as the precious & powerful things they are to us.
5)Live simply. Not only physically, as with a cluttered house, but mentally & emotionally as well. Be careful not to over analyze situations or throw your heart around. It only brings anxiety. Buy only what you need, do all you you can about a situation & then let yourself move on, love fiercely the one man or woman that is your mate in life.

Jun 26 2012:
1 Time is a worth while investment to anything
2 Taking myself out of the picture when I look to my future...you get interesting results.
3 The people around me are what matter the most
4 Never to underestimate anyone
5 Staying true...always honest to yourself.
This last one is hardest for me.

Jul 2 2012:
Thank you William, I like your list of 5 things especially the second one, however I am a bit confused how this could be done?
"Taking myself out of the picture when I look to my(?) future"
How could you take yourself out of the picture when you look to your(!) future?

1) Education is the best and most reliable life insurance you will ever invest in - it will go on paying dividens all your life
2) If you get the opportunity - travel the world - it will broaden your mind and humble you
3) Always vote and hold your local politician to account
4) Live simply - eat real, local, seasonal food - enjoy getting out into nature - don't get carried away with credit and debt
5) Manners make the man - it is often who you know rather than what you know - good manners will get you noticed.